Pirate Bay Supreme Court appeal denied - prison ahoy!

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The founders of Pirate Bay, Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm and Carl Lundström, have failed in a new attempt to have their jail sentences for criminal copyright infringement offences overturned. Sweden's Supreme Court will not grant them leave to appeal, and so their original sentences will stand.

Neij, Sunde and Lundström had already had their jail sentences reduced by the Court of Appeal, to 10, 8 and 4 months respectively, but they were attempting to get them repealed completely. Svartholm, having not appeared at the previous appeal hearing, had his original sentence of 1 year in prison set permanently.

All the defendants will also still have to pay their share of the 46 million kronor (£4.3 million) in damages to the entertainment company plaintiffs.

TorrentFreak reports, however, that the Pirate Bay founders will take the case further abroad: "They will now appeal at the European Court of Justice," it says after being contacted by one of the defendants. "But this, however, won’t prevent the sentences from being executed in Sweden."

It also claims that they may escape their prison sentences entirely due to a Swedish law that states that, should the case be over 5 years old, the justice system can reduce any prison sentence by up to 12 months. This is eligible, but it is up to the court to decide whether it will in this case.

What do you think? Should the Pirate Bay Four be set free? Or should they be banged up in chokey like the pirates of old? Let us know in the comments below...